From the Chicago harbor entrances to runs up the North Shore, reliable navigation is basic safety equipment. BoatWired installs GPS and navigation systems that work together with the electronics you already have.
What we install
- Chartplotters and GPS: new plotters and external GPS antennas, mounted for a clear view of the sky and wired to give stable position data.
- Heading sensors: accurate heading for radar overlay, autopilots and AIS.
- Integration: connecting plotters, radar, AIS, autopilot and instruments over NMEA 2000 or NMEA 0183, so position and heading are shared across the helm.
- Navigation lights: correct, working navigation lights for night and low-visibility running, required by the navigation rules and often overlooked during upgrades.
- Backup navigation: a second GPS source or display, so one failure doesn't leave you without position.
Navigating the Chicago lakefront
Chicago's harbors sit behind breakwalls with set entrances, and conditions on the lake can change quickly. A well-installed plotter with current charts, accurate heading and radar overlay makes finding the harbor entrance in fog, at night or in a building chop much less stressful. We set up the system so the information you need is on the screen you're looking at.
Upgrading older systems
Replacing an old plotter often raises compatibility questions: older transducers, older network standards and mounting cutouts. We work out what can be kept and what needs replacing, and give you a clear plan and price before we start.
Request a quote and tell us what navigation equipment you have and what you'd like to change.